The Soapbox: Brief thoughts from Daily Herald editors on suburban topics of interest
This week's clippable quote
"The constant free flow of communication among us, enabling the free interchange of ideas, forms the very bloodstream of our nation. It keeps the mind and body of our democracy eternally vital, eternally young." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
A true gift
Maya Schaab's kindness truly inspires us. The Wheeling resident celebrated her ninth birthday by coming up with the idea of a small grocery repository outside Wheeling's Indian Trails Public Library to help those in need. And she worked with her dad to build it. "A little act of kindness can help people a lot," she shared. Indeed.
Cyberstalking
The reach of cyberstalking can be endless - financial, reputational, physical, emotional - so any time we can ensure victims are treated properly, all the better. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed off on a change to the existing law that includes the standard definition of anxiety - to ensure all victims are treated the same.
Water woes
It doesn't take long to start losing it once creature comforts to which we've gotten accustomed are taken away, such as lack of reliable safe drinking water some Lake County residents are experiencing. Blame it on the utility provider, water main leaks or whatever else, but be thankful for the luxury of access to free bottled water unavailable to so many across the globe - and conserve.
Soothing sounds of music
Cardiologist David Kim says he and NaperVoice founding conductor Philip Spencer are "just a couple of guys having fun in the middle of the day." But they're not the only ones experiencing the joy of music. With Kim on vocals and Spencer on piano, Edward Hospital employees and patients get regular serenades that surely lift their spirits.
Don't follow this instruction
Seen on the path heading west on the north side of Golf Road: A sign ahead of bridge construction under Route 53 telling people the sidewalk is closed and to walk on the other side. Except the other side is an entrance to Busse Woods and the frontage road, and you'd have to cross at least six lanes of traffic. This suggestion is a really bad, dangerous idea.
Not all bad news
It seems like all we ever hear about is how Illinois is bad for businesses. Rankings released from Site Selection tell another story. Cook, DuPage, Kane and Will counties all rank in the Top 20 counties in the nation for economic development. The suburbs and Illinois have a lot to offer businesses as these rankings show.
Rockford bound
It's been more than four decades since people have been able to get back and forth to Rockford by train, but that will change in about four years when suburban rail line Metra begins twice-a-day service. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and rail executives announced the project this week. The trip, with stops along the way TBD, is expected to take less than two hours.
Shakman case closed
A federal judge lifted the 1969 order known as the Shakman Decree, aiming to eliminate politics from hiring in Cook County, on the clerk's office this week. It's not comforting to note that it followed an appeals court ruling that lowered compliance standards, but at least it appears, as the judge stated, the case "has served its purpose."